Kerry Collins

Kerry Collins

Collins during the Titans' 2008 season.
San Francisco 49ers
Career information
College:	Penn State
NFL draft:	1995 / round: 1 / pick: 5
Career history
Carolina Panthers (1995–1998) New Orleans Saints (1998) New York Giants (1999–2003) Oakland Raiders (2004–2005) Tennessee Titans (2006–2010) San Francisco 49ers (2010-Present)
Career highlights and awards
2× Pro Bowl selection (1996, 2008) Maxwell Award (1994) Davey O'Brien Award (1994) Sammy Baugh Award (1994) College Quarterback of the Year (1994)
Career NFL statistics as of Week 17, 2010
TD-INT: 206-195 Passing yards: 40,441 QB Rating: 73.9 Stats at Pro Football Reference

Kerry Collins (born December 30, 1972 in Lebanon, Pennsylvania) is an American football quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Carolina Panthers with the fifth overall pick of the 1995 NFL Draft (first draft choice in franchise history).

College career

Collins played at Wilson High School in West Lawn, Pennsylvania. He played college football at Penn State, where he earned many awards in football. As quarterback, he was named All-American in 1994 by the Associated Press, United Press International, The Football News, Football Writers Association of America, Walter Camp and The Sporting News. Collins also captured two of college football’s major postseason prizes — the Maxwell Award, presented to the nation’s outstanding player, and the Davey O'Brien Award, which goes to the nation’s top quarterback. Collins finished fourth in the Heisman Trophy balloting that year. In addition, he was chosen UPI Back-of-the-Year and garnered Player-of-the-Year honors from ABC-TV/Chevrolet and the Big Ten Conference. Collins made a serious run at the NCAA season passing efficiency record, falling just four points short (172.8), the fourth-highest figure in NCAA annals. He broke Penn State season records for total offense (2,660), completions (176), passing yardage (2,679), completion percentage (66.7), yards per attempt (10.15) and passing efficiency (172.86). He had 14 consecutive completions at Minnesota, another Penn State record. Collins was the linchpin of an explosive offense that shattered 14 school records and led the nation in scoring (47.8 ppg.) and total offense (520.2 ypg.). With 5,304 career passing yards, Collins ranks third in Penn State annals and is one of only three quarterbacks to top 5,000 yards through the air. With Collins at quarterback, the 1994 Nittany Lions completed an undefeated season, the fifth under coach Joe Paterno, capped by a Rose Bowl win over Pac-10 Champion Oregon. His team was voted #1 by the by the New York Times, although they were voted #2 behind undefeated Nebraska in the traditional polls (AP Poll and Coaches' Poll) used to determine Division 1-A champions prior to the BCS era.

Season	Comp	Att	Percent	Yards	TD	INT	W	L
1991	3	6	50.0%	95	1	1	0	0
1992	64	137	46.7%	925	4	2	2	3
1993	127	250	50.8%	1,605	13	11	7	2
1994	176	264	66.7%	2,679	21	7	12	0
TOTAL	370	657	56.3%	5,304	39	21	21	5

Professional career

Carolina Panthers

Collins was selected as the Carolina Panthers' first round pick (fifth overall) in the 1995 NFL Draft. He was the first player ever chosen by the Panthers in the annual college draft, though other players—some free agents, as well as players from the expansion draft—had previously signed with the team. In his three seasons with the Panthers, he threw for 7,295 yards, 39 touchdowns and 49 interceptions. His completion percentage was 52.6% and his quarterback rating was 65.6. In his second season, he led the Panthers to the NFC Championship Game.

Collins threw 21 interceptions during the 1997 season and the Panthers finished 7–9, just one season after advancing to the NFC Championship.

Carolina started the 1998 season with Collins as its starting quarterback. After an 0-4 start, Collins walked into head coach Dom Capers' office and, as Collins later put it, "told Coach Capers my heart's not in it, I'm not happy, and I don't feel like I can play right now." He asked to be traded, but was instead placed on waivers by Carolina during the 1998 season and subsequently signed by the New Orleans Saints.

Collins would later say that he did not intend to quit the team, only to sit out for a few weeks. However, Capers interpreted his request as quitting on the team and he was released. He later admitted that much of his erratic behavior was due to his struggles with alcoholism. After being arrested for drunk driving later that year, he was ordered by the NFL to seek treatment for alcohol abuse.

Battles with alcoholism

Before the 1997 season got underway, Collins' private battle with alcoholism started to make public headlines. In a highly publicized incident, on the last night of Carolina Panthers training camp in 1997, Collins used the offensive racial slur "nigger" in reference to black teammate Muhsin Muhammad while in a drunken state at a bar in Spartanburg, South Carolina. Supposedly, Collins also inadvertently slurred offensive lineman Norberto Garrido, who is of Hispanic descent. It was widely rumored that Garrido punched Collins in the eye as a result, although this was later proven false. Collins had stated that, in his intoxicated state, he thought the use of the racial epithet would help him and his teammates bond.

On November 2, 1998, Collins was arrested for drunk driving in Charlotte, North Carolina. He finished the 1998 season in New Orleans and signed with the New York Giants as a free agent on February 19, 1999. Not long after signing with New York, Collins decided to seek treatment for his alcoholism. He entered a rehabilitation clinic in Topeka, Kansas.

While a member of the New York Giants, Collins remained in therapy for four years. As a member of the Tennessee Titans, he readdressed the 1997 racial slur incident, explaining that "The guys were talking to each other that way, and I was trying to be funny and thought I could do it, too. I was so upset by it. It was bad judgment. I could have been labeled a racist for the rest of my career. I had to live with the way I used that word with a teammate. Extremely poor judgment. I was naïve to think I could use that word in any context."

New York Giants

Collins started the 1999 season as the Giants' second-string quarterback, but soon claimed the starting job. In the 2000 season Collins led the Giants to Super Bowl XXXV, where they lost to the Baltimore Ravens. During the 2001 season, Collins set a single-season NFL record with 23 fumbles (Collins' record was tied in 2002 by then-Minnesota Vikings quarterback Daunte Culpepper). After five seasons, sixty-eight starts and 16,875 yards in New York, Collins was released by the Giants in 2004. The team had already signed former league MVP Kurt Warner and traded for 2004's #1 draft pick, Eli Manning. After his release, Collins signed a three-year, $16.82 million contract with the Oakland Raiders.

Oakland Raiders

Collins began the 2004 season as the team's backup to Rich Gannon, but took over the starting role when Gannon suffered a neck injury in the third week of the regular season. Collins was the team's starting quarterback for the 2005 season, subsequent to Gannon's retirement.

The 2005 Raiders season started off well for Collins, but he was benched after a Week 13 loss to the San Diego Chargers. However, he regained his starting job two weeks later against the Cleveland Browns (a 9–7 loss at home). After two seasons and a 7–21 record with the Raiders, Collins was cut on March 10, 2006 in what was at least partially a move designed to free space with the salary cap.

Tennessee Titans

Early Years

On August 28, 2006, Collins agreed in principle to a deal of unknown length and money with the Tennessee Titans. After three games, all losses for the Titans, Collins had completed fewer than half his passes, and had thrown one touchdown and six interceptions. Vince Young, who played extensively as a substitute in the second game, started the fourth through sixth games while Collins saw no playing time in any of them. On March 5, 2007 he re-signed with the Titans.

2008 Season

After Titans quarterback Vince Young was injured against Jacksonville on September 7, 2008, Collins finished the game and was named the Titans starting quarterback for the rest of 2008 later that week. On September 21, 2008, Collins became just the 15th player in NFL history to pass for more than 35,000 yards. Coming into the game against the Houston Texans, Collins needed only 90 yards to eclipse the mark. On his ninth completion of 13 attempts, Collins completed a 17-yard pass to Justin McCareins to give him 107 yards on the day and 35,007 yards for his career.

The Titans finished the regular season with a record of 13–3, top seed in the playoffs, and a first round bye. In the divisional round they lost to the Baltimore Ravens 13-10. A last minute field goal by Matt Stover won the game for the Ravens. Collins indicated after the season that he would like to play next year, but only as a starter. Collins replaced Jets quarterback Brett Favre in the 2009 Pro Bowl, after first alternate Philip Rivers pulled out. He re-signed with the Titans on February 27, 2009. His new contract is worth $15 million, with $8.5 million guaranteed over two years.

2009 Season

Collins returned as the team's starting quarterback for the beginning of the 2009 season. In the first week of Regular Season play the Titans fell to the Pittsburgh Steelers 13-10. In week two the Titans again lost. This time to the Houston Texans by a score of 34-31. In week three they lost to the New York Jets 24-17. In the fourth week they lost to the Jacksonville Jaguars by 37-17. In the fifth week they lost to Indianapolis Colts 31-9. In the sixth week they were humiliated by New England Patriots 59-0. After that loss and a 0-6 record on the season, coach Jeff Fisher replaced Collins as starting quarterback with Vince Young, three days before the November 1, 2009 game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Fisher has said that he is against this decision, saying that the problems with the team are unrelated to quarterback play, but he made the substitution after being urged by Titans owner Bud Adams to do so. The Titans won 5 straight games with Young as quarterback, and later finished the season 8-8.

Awards

• Won the 1994 Maxwell Award (Nation's top college player)
• Won the 1994 Davey O'Brien Award (Nation's top college quarterback)
• Selected to the NFL Pro Bowl following the 1996 season.
• Selected to the NFL Pro Bowl following the 2008 season.

Career statistics

Regular season

				Passing								Rushing
Season	Team	League		GP	Comp	Att	Pct	Yds	TD	INT		Att	Yds	TD
1995	Carolina	NFL		15	214	432	49.5	2717	14	19		42	74	3
1996	Carolina	NFL		13	204	364	56.0	2454	14	9		32	38	0
1997	Carolina	NFL		13	200	381	52.5	2124	11	21		26	65	1
1998	Carolina	NFL		4	76	162	46.9	1011	8	5		7	40	0
1998	New Orleans	NFL		7	94	191	49.2	1202	4	10		23	113	1
1999	NYG	NFL		10	191	332	57.5	2316	8	11		19	36	2
2000	NYG	NFL		16	311	529	58.8	3610	22	13		41	65	1
2001	NYG	NFL		16	327	568	57.6	3764	19	16		39	73	0
2002	NYG	NFL		16	335	545	61.5	4073	19	14		44	-3	0
2003	NYG	NFL		13	284	500	56.8	3110	13	16		17	49	0
2004	Oakland	NFL		14	289	513	56.3	3495	21	20		16	36	0
2005	Oakland	NFL		15	302	565	53.5	3759	20	12		17	39	1
2006	Tennessee	NFL		4	42	90	46.7	549	1	6		0	0	0
2007	Tennessee	NFL		6	50	82	61.0	531	0	0		3	-3	0
2008	Tennessee	NFL		16	242	415	58.3	2676	12	7		25	49	0
Regular season totals				178	3160	5669	55.7	37393	186	179		351	671	9

Playoffs

				Passing								Rushing
Season	Team	League		GP	Comp	Att	Pct	Yds	TD	INT		Att	Yds	TD
1996	Carolina	NFL		2	31	59	52.5	315	3	3		7	4	0
2000	NYG	NFL		3	56	98	57.1	622	5	6		14	26	0
2002	NYG	NFL		1	29	43	67.4	342	4	1		0	0	0
2008	TN	NFL		1	29	42	61.9	281	0	1		1	0	0
Playoff totals				7	145	242	59.7	1560	12	11		22	30	0

Charity

Throughout his career, Collins has been one of the NFL's most charitable players. Immediately upon signing his rookie contract with the Carolina Panthers, he donated $250,000 to the Penn State athletic department to permanently endow the quarterback position. He has donated over two million dollars to charities such as Big Brothers/Big Sisters and the Harlem Boys Choir. In 2001, Collins donated $120,000 to Manhattan's Ladder 5/Engine 24 Family Relief following the September 11th attack on the World Trade Center.

Through the KC for Kids Fund of the Kerry Collins Foundation, Collins has donated more than $500,000 for the renovation of the Rusk Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine, a children's unit within the NYU Medical Center. Previously Collins donated $100,000 to the Institute, to establish the Kerry M. Collins Computer Center and Classroom, with specially modified equipment for children with disabilities.

During the 2005 season, Collins pledged $1,000 for every touchdown he threw and every game the Raiders won to the American Red Cross Hurricane Katrina relief fund. On March 24, 2006, Collins was honored by The Second Mile Foundation in recognition of his commitment to others.

Family

Collins and his wife, Brooke, have a daughter named Riley. The family splits time between Nashville, Tennessee and Asheboro, North Carolina.

Sources

• Reed, Steve (January 27, 2001). Once a lost soul, Collins turns career, life around The Gaston Gazette
• King, Peter (January 22, 2001). Collins' sobering story CNNSI.com
• Gay, Nancy (October 3, 2004). Collins appreciates second chances San Francisco Chronicle

External links

• Kerry Collins' Official Tennessee Titans website profile
• Kerry Collins at ESPN.com
• Template:Pro-football-reference
• Kerry Collins fantasy news and stats from Sandbox Fantasy News
• Second Mile press release, March 22, 2006